Technion, IAI develop unique nano-satellite receiver for distress signals
The satellites will be used to receive signals from Earth and to calculate the location of the transmission source for rescue purposes.
By SARAH CHEMLASatellite constellation formed by the three nano-satellites(photo credit: SHARON TZUR, TECHNION)
An advanced and unique innovative receiver and a satellite computer has been developed in a close collaboration between Technion and the Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI) which will help receive signals from Earth. The development could be used to pinpoint exact locations for rescue purposes, and to detect distress signals among other applications.Three nano-satellites will be launched into space as part of this project, this November, flying autonomously without human intervention and will work together in a satellite constellation. The software and algorithms that will control the flight were developed in a Technion laboratory specialized in space systems.The unique mission receiver for miniature satellites. (Photo: Sharon Tzur, Technion Spokeswoman)The mission receiver, developed and built specifically for the "Adlis-Samson" project by Elta Systems, a division and subsidiary of IAI, includes an advanced receiver capable of detecting and recording signals from the ground and a monitoring system information processing designed to locate the transmission.This is a tiny system suitable for nano-satellites, which will allow a significant expansion of the possible range of applications of these satellites.Hobik Aglarian, chief electronics engineer of the Asher Institute for Space Research, with the new receiver. (Photo: Sharon Tzur, Technion Spokeswoman)The Adlis-Samson project has been developed in recent years by a team of researchers led by Prof. Pini Gurfil, head of the Asher Institute for Space Research and a faculty member in the Technion's Faculty of Aeronautical and Space Engineering, with the support of the Adlis Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology.“For more than five years, we have been working closely with IAI engineers on advanced technological development,” said Prof Pini Gurfil."This is a collaborative masterpiece between academia and industry, enabling a combination of basic research and advanced technology, so that both sides have the opportunity to develop and implement an innovative system. The developed system places the Technion's Adlis-Samson satellites at the forefront of global technology for the development of miniature satellites."Nimrod Sheffer, CEO of IAI, declared that "This is a development that will participate in fascinating research in the field of the new space. We consider it essential to work closely with the Technion, as well as with other academic institutions, to advance academic research and future developments and technologies. The shelter developed for this project is a breakthrough in the field of spatial detection of electromagnetic signals transmitted from the ground and is knowledge-based technical and rich years of experience in the fields of satellites, electronic warfare, intelligence decoding systems and communications networks. "
